Unlikely Friends: Volume Two

Chapter Twenty Five

Four years ago

A tiny girl, no bigger than the palm of a hand, sat cross legged in the middle of a colorful board game. She had chosen to  wear a bright green dress that day and her hair hung in a tangled mess around her face. Above her, moving the pieces, were three hooded figures. The pint-sized girl looked up at them in awe as they discussed the game amongst themselves. Her small mouth hung open slightly, her bright green eyes trained on the giant figures as they seemingly stretched towards the faraway ceiling.

She didn't quite understand how to play the game but she always watched intently, paying close attention to the roll of the dice and the way the pieces slid across the board. The girl had completely memorized the board after a year of watching them play. Spread across the table was a giant map with locations all named in bold, black letters. There were multiple paths towards each destination all labeled with different experience points should the player succeed.  The girl proudly knew them by heart, quick to recite them if anyone asked.

Occasionally the three figures burst into laughter as they pushed a bright colored piece across the map. The tiny girl would whip her head around and identify the area, imagining the adventures the characters were going on. She sometimes daydreamed of joining them. The girl looked up as a shadow was suddenly casted upon her. A large hand reached down and lifted her from the board. Oh it's time to go already, the girl pouted. The game had ended for the day and a tall figure scooped her up and was carrying her home."When can I play?" a soft voice asked the hooded figure. The girl asked this question every time she was pulled away from the table, walking out into the night. And every night, once the figure was sure nobody was around, they would pull back their hood and raise the little girl to their face.

"When its time," a light haired woman said as she held the tiny child in her right hand. As they walked, the woman would tell her epic tales of how great she'd be someday, how she was meant to go down in history. The girl listened dreamily as she pictured the stories playing before her eyes. She'd have so many friends and so many adventures.

Upon reaching the door to their dimly lit home, the woman would pause and look down at the girl with soft, blue eyes. "Just remember you must follow the plan," she'd gently remind her with a hint of worry in her voice. The tiny child would pout, forced to prepare herself for her destiny. Why did her destiny have to be so boring?

The kind woman placed the tiny girl in the middle of a tall counter as she fetched a bowl and placed it to her left side. The girl stared up as the item towered over her before looking around. She spotted a shop bell a few inches away and marched towards it, pushing the heavy object towards the looming bowl.

Her green eyes followed the tall woman as she grabbed purified water and a pinch of salt. She looked away after a moment and began climbing the bell, her foot slipping slightly as she reached for the bowl's edge. A small ring notified the woman to the girl's struggle and she chuckled softly. She placed a long finger under her tiny bare feet and lifted her high enough to climb over.

Water flowed into the bowl just as the girl sat, her feet slowly kicking over the side. She stared down at her reflection as the woman worked her magic and wrinkled her nose. She watched the long, white whiskers twitch from the movement. Her glowing green eyes traveled up and observed the tiny orange cat ears poking out of the wild waves of hair sprung messily around her face.

Soon the girl's face vanished from the water as it changed to reflect another location. The girl quickly took a mental note of the area as she watched the familiar men through the ripples. They were in a desert this time. Each night was a different group and location. "They have a long way to go," the woman revealed as she used two fingers to pull the girl's wild hair out of her face and tie it up. The focused child hardly paid attention as her hair was pulled tightly atop her head; she was mesmerized. Her eyes traveled from face to face as she watched.

"Is he anyone in this reflection?" the girl would ask each time, hopeful to discover the hero her mom weaved bright stories of as she fell into a peaceful slumber. She had remembered every face in the bowl, taking time to memorize their appearances as she observed each feature slowly. The girl would study their movements and behavior until eventually she was told it was bedtime and carried away from the counter. The tall woman would place the small girl on a tiny bed within a purple doll house, gently tucking her in before telling her the familiar bedtime story. She began to recite the long epic of the hero she had once fallen in love with. 

The tiny girl closed her eyes as she listened, slowly falling to sleep. Each night she'd dream of herself going on a brave adventure to reunite the lost hero and the kind woman once again.